Magic
by Ky03elk
Summary: Taking the flowers from Beckett's hand, Castle grins. It's amazingly sweet to have someone taking the time and effort to make him smile, to have someone trying to improve his day, and these flowers have just become sacred. Poof! You're Dead (S3) post episode story, becomes AU. How a simple gift turns into something so much more. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

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**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO!

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Okay, so technically it isn't your birthday today, but in four more weeks exactly it will be, and to celebrate the lead up I created this based on your prompt (which I *cough* subtly *cough* got out of you), post Poof! You're Dead!, fluffy post ep.

Two chapters a week until it finishes on your actual birthday! Enjoy!

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* * *

Taking the flowers from her hand, Castle grins, his delight slowly stretching until it spreads across his face. It's the first time tonight that he's felt a glimmer of happiness and he cherishes how her actions make him feel. It's amazingly sweet to have someone taking the time and effort to make him smile, to have someone trying to improve his day, and these flowers have just become sacred. Castle's sure that it would sound asinine to anyone else, but he wants to take them home where they will be safe.

"Are we aiming for the comfort truck straight away? Or can we make a quick stop first, Beckett?"

Lifting her shoulders for a fleeting moment, both eyebrows pulling upward to match her shrug, he reads her movements as '_I'm easy__'_. Well not easy per se; of all the words to describe Beckett, easy is not one of them, but he's assuming that she's willing to take his lead. For a change.

"Good, because I need to go home first," he announces as the elevator descends, and hoping that he will get a smile from her in return, he brings the flowers higher so that he can inhale deeply, pretending to breathe in a fragrance that doesn't exist.

Beckett's head dips forward, her curls falling to hide the wide grin he knows has erupted at his antics, and he slants the flowers her way while trying to smother his own glee as he waits for her reaction.

She doesn't move at first, her head staying angled toward the floor concealing her amusement but he can see the waiver in her stance, and he holds them aloft for a little bit longer.

And she caves. Using a hand to push the loose strands behind her ear, she tilts slightly, bringing herself close enough to give a delicate sniff.

Day. Made.

The doors open at ground level and he takes his usual place at her side as they walk in the direction of her car, the flowers still held proudly between them. They may be receiving second glances from those that they pass by, but he can ignore the conjecture. He has flowers from Kate, and nothing can diminish the glow that comes with that.

* * *

"So what are we doing at the loft, Castle?" she asks, her weight shifting from one foot to the other while she waits for him to unlock his front door. Her trepidation over her spontaneous invitation to dinner is increasing the longer it takes for them to get there, yet she reminds herself why she'd asked him in the first place - her unwillingness to have him go home alone. Although the fact that she actually asked him had taken her by surprise, seemed to catch him by surprise as well, but it's apparently the theme of the night.

She was surprised when she'd accidentally overheard him in the corridor, his private phone call to Gina becoming not so private as she'd listened in to him breaking things off. She was surprised that he was the one to end it, that whatever had been brewing between them had led to their ultimate demise - that he was now a single man once more.

Mostly she was surprised at the surge of anticipation that shot through her. The thrill that came with the knowledge that he was single. At least until she reminded herself that she is with Josh. Content and at ease with Josh.

"Beckett? You coming in?"

Giving herself an internal shake, she steps away from those thoughts, steps into the loft instead and the smell of dinner washes over her. Whoever cooked did so well.

"Make yourself at home. I just need to find a vase to put these in."

"Whatever you do, don't add water." She jokes while looking down at her feet; weighs up the pros and cons of taking off her heels. If they are only going to be turning around and heading out she doesn't want to take them off, but the pleasure of being free from them is already swaying her decision.

Placing them carefully under the stairs, she takes off her coat as well, assumes by the way Castle is haphazardly searching through cupboard after cupboard that they could be here awhile, and if she has to wait, she is going to do so whilst being comfortable.

"Okay, I found two. Which one goes with my flowers better?"

He holds a trendy looking blue glass one next to the hand painted terracotta that has the words 'Love Daddy' crookedly across the curved surface and she grins, her finger pointing to the school made masterpiece.

"Love and flowers go together so..."

His eyes widen, edges softening, and she replays her sentence, understands what she'd implied. Just how much her foot has found its way into her mouth.

The flowers aren't love, not like that, not _love _love, just _be happy_ love and damn she needs to stop that trail of thought instantly.

There is no _love _love. They have friendship. Companionship. A possible partnership. That's all.

Clearing his throat, he nods a fraction, covers over her blunder by agreeing. "They'll look great in this one. Alexis had it specially made for me in the sixth grade, and I've been looking for an excuse to use it."

"No one has given you flowers before?"

His hand pauses, cupping the arrangement as he stares down into the plastic petals, a flash of something heart-breaking darts across his features, but it's gone by the time he looks in her direction.

"Nope. You're my first."

He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and she rolls her eyes automatically at the innuendo, but his previous expression is caught, _stuck_, an image she can't shake. His joke is covering up something hidden, a baby elephant in the corner of the room, and she comments before realizing.

"That's sad, Castle. But I'm glad it was me who got in first."

His whole body relaxes as he loses the façade of the happy-go-lucky, wisecracking jokester, and he nods in reply.

"Me, too, Beckett. Me, too."

* * *

Castle's fingers drift lightly over the different colored flowers, tracing the outline of each one before he starts the process all over again. He can't stop touching them, has to make sure they are resting just right in the special handmade vase Alexis lovingly created for him.

He shoves the feelings that arise from Beckett picking this one over the other into a box he refuses to acknowledge while she is here. God forbid he does something that embarrasses them both, but he has to touch, has to feel the proof of her… _friendship_ under his fingers.

"Hey, Dad." His daughter's voice comes barreling down the stairs as she does, and he's quickly engulfed in fiery red and loving arms. "You're back. And I made you spaghetti with the meat sauce just the way you like it. And I brought a new tub of ice-"

Her sentence evaporates, her attention caught by Beckett standing at the counter and he finds himself in the very definition of 'between a rock and a hard place.' Alexis has gone to all the trouble to make him feel better. She seems to have taken to heart his confession that all is not right with Gina. Yet the idea of not having dinner with Beckett leaves him slightly destroyed. Hence - rock and hard place.

"Oh. Hi. Detective Beckett. Um, is everything okay? Are you guys still on the case?"

Shaking her head, curls bouncing with her movement, Beckett appears to be waging her own war before she answers.

"No. We wrapped it all up. I was just going to provide dinner for your dad, but since you have sorted it out – it smells amazing by the way – I'm gonna head off."

He wants to stop her, desperately wants to do anything that will prevent her from walking out the front door, but as much as he wants to place a kiss on his daughters red hair and head out with Beckett, he knows that's not going to happen. Alexis comes first and her effort deserves his attention.

"Oh, please don't go, Detective Beckett. I made lots and you can tell me all about the case. You know, the proper version, not just the made up one dad usually tells us."

Her baby blue eyes find his and he could applaud her for having such a brilliant idea. Alexis' spontaneous invitation to include Beckett gives him the best of both worlds. But rather than bring attention to himself, he keeps it low key, settles for a smile of gratitude instead.

"Are you sure? I really don't want to…" Beckett's eyes dart between his face and his daughter's before her sentence turns into a shy smile and a nod of her head. Apparently, putting on their matching puppy dog expressions has won her over and she concedes gracefully.

"Thank you, Alexis. I'd be happy to stay." A mischievous sparkle glints wickedly as she adds, "Someone needs to set the record straight."

He wraps an arm around his daughter's shoulder in glee – jumping for joy seems a tad out of place - and squeezes tight. He doesn't care if Beckett spends the entire dinner retelling his every girly squeak or unmanly jump in alarm. He has two of his three favorite leading ladies under one roof and what more could he ask for?

All thoughts of how exactly tonight came about and the circumstances that led up to the here and now are pushed so far back they are almost forgotten. Nothing can put a dampener on tonight.

* * *

Alexis pushes back from the table as Castle finishes retelling the story of 'alakazam jackass', and Kate realizes as her laughter dies away naturally that she should probably be doing the same. It was late when they arrived and now it's gone past the point of indecent, but it all hardly seems to matter when the three of them have been having such a good time.

She can't remember the last time she had laughed so hard her cheeks ache, her stomach actually sore from the continuous fits of giggles. Castle brings a smile to her face most days, yet when he's paired with Alexis she sees a completely new side to him, which she loves.

Likes. She _likes_ this side to him.

"I've got to head off, too. Paperwork tomorrow, and get this, Castle. It doesn't actually do itself!"

Gasping in mock surprise, he pokes a tongue out in her direction, no doubt for added affect, and she struggles against the urge to lean over and bite it off. Bite him.

And damn she needs to get home. The late hour is playing with her head, messing with her thoughts. What she needs is a good night sleep so the world can right itself by the morning.

"Thank you for staying, Detective Beck- Kate." Alexis' gratitude is quiet, but the success of hearing 'Kate' makes up for the hesitancy. She doesn't know how many times she'd correct the younger girl over dinner.

Waving her away from the dishes, Castle walks with her to the front door, his focus caught on Alexis as she waves her own goodbye before heading up the stairs, and Kate mimics the farewell before slipping back into her heels.

"I know the adorable red head already said it, but still, thanks for staying. It meant a lot to her... It meant a lot to me."

Her coat becomes caught in her hands as she stills at his words, peering up at him through her lashes. The lump that's forming at the sincerity in his words again has her wondering why no one seems to do anything for him. No one's given him flowers and now it seems no one has done the simple task of having dinner with him and his amazing kid.

"Castle, you don't need to thank me for that. I enjoyed every minute of it. Don't doubt that."

The obstruction in her throat makes her words more gravelly than she intended, but it's going to take more than a minute to get past the concept that for a man that spends a good part of his day worrying and ensuring others are okay, not many are doing the same for him, herself included.

"What are you doing next Sunday?" Her question lands between them before she's realized that it's out and her mind races. Where exactly is she headed with this?

"Ummm, like in six days' time? Nothing, unless we get a body drop. Why?"

Why, indeed. Because her spur of the moment questions have some major plot flaws, _why_ being the most obvious.

"Just leave it free. I have comfort food to make up for, so it will be my treat."

His whole body seems to lighten at that, an internal balloon that swells and suddenly he is standing taller; she can see the happiness shining from every part of him.

"Done. I'm all yours."

She grins wide in return until reality crashes on her jubilant mood. Because the fact is - he really isn't. And with his declaration playing on loop, she flees from the loft, unknown plans made.

* * *

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Thanks to Lou for the beta and for being sneaky with me ;-)

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It's been so hard for me to keep this a secret, lol, but I couldn't have you editing your own present Jo!

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Thoughts are always appreciated xoxo


	2. Chapter 2

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**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

Kate's eyes scroll through the list that Google has deemed as appropriate magical attractions but she may as well be looking for a needle in a haystack. There are too many that have absolutely _nothing_ to do with magic and she's beginning to panic.

Her invite to Castle last night - _"What are you doing next Sunday?"_ \- had been a spur of the moment way to make up for their missed dinner of mac and cheese, but now that she's got it in her head to take him some where magical, somewhere that will have him smiling again, she can't think of anything else to do.

The memory of how he'd grinned at her, flowers held tenderly in his hand, is etched into her mind. She's prepared to do a bit of internet searching so she can replicate the sense of happiness that had radiated from him. It's been on the forefront of her thoughts all day; had distracted her from the boring Tuesday of nothing but paperwork, his absence felt more than usual. Although she's done her best not to show it tonight, especially since Josh had arrived wanting dinner together between shifts.

The banging of her cupboard door distracts her from the task in front of her and she peers around the screen while attempting to work out what is going on. But whatever Josh is doing in the kitchen, it seems that it doesn't require her intervention and she goes back to the search engine.

Something has to pop eventually, yet page after page goes past and she's still coming up with nothing.

"So, as I was saying, Kate, the heartache in those regions makes the work that they do all the more important. It's bad enough that their hearts need fixing, but you should see the conditions that these people are living in."

She nods automatically in response to his words; has been doing so most of the night. His new fixation has captured his attention and it clearly means a lot to him. She understands this and she really does feel sorry for the situation over there; she'd just stopped showing it after the third and fourth time he'd started this conversation.

_And how can there not be some kind of magical tour in __this__ city?_

"It's just the conditions that they live in, it makes their circumstances almost impossible, but the doctors over there are still trying their best. Each and every day they do what they can."

Her hum of agreement fills the air as she hits the next button, hopes that as the new list comes up there will be something smile-worthy this time. That something will magically appear before her. After everything Castle has been through, with the press and his break up, he deserves a reason to be happy again.

"Kate?"

_Ohhhh, _here's a possibility. 'A taste of Magic' has a show and then runs classes so you can see how all the tricks of the trade occur as well as getting to go behind the scenes.

"_Kate_?"

Although Castle might get all pouty when they strip away the magic and they're left with nothing but facts and step-by-step instructions. She would get a little kick out of it, but even for her it's probably taking it a step too far. She wants to add magic to his life, not take it away.

"KATE!"

"Huh?"

Ripping her attention from the computer, she focuses on Josh standing in front of her, and her eyebrow lifts in question.

"Sorry, did I miss something?"

"Yes, Kate, you did." He huffs at the end and it has her biting her bottom lip. She can't help but gnaw at her skin as she replays the last five minutes in her head. Nothing seems to be worthy of his disappointed look.

Running both hands through his hair, he glares at her, a storm gathering on his features and she stands in order to stare back. She's clueless as to what exactly she has missed and it's making her slightly defensive.

"Kate, what are you doing?"

She glances down at her Google search, eyes flickering up to his before dropping again. There's probably not a good way to explain this.

"Well, Castle and I had a case at a magic shop and–"

Josh's hand indicates for her to stop and she can do nothing but swallow the rest of her sentence as he interrupts.

"I spent this afternoon, Kate, coming up with speech after speech in order to start this conversation. I've been trying to start it since I arrived, but you're not here." Dark strands fall forward as he shakes his head, and her mouth opens. She needs some sort of clarification from him, because she's completely at a loss as to what is happening here.

"No. Don't. Let me finish, Kate." Nodding slightly, she shuts her lips tight, a narrow line forming as she forces herself to wait for him to go on.

"I got offered a job overseas. It's a big deal for me. One that will open a lot of doors in the future. And I've been trying to figure out how to work you into this so that we can do the long distance thing and still be successful together but…"

He shrugs. Apparently whatever he is feeling cannot be placed into words. She would offer some kind of assistance but her mind is caught, his first sentence running over and over. A job where?

"_Where _did you get a job?"

"It doesn't matter, Kate. Where it is doesn't matter because while I've been trying to work out how to bring up the subject of how to keep us together, you've been – what have you been doing?"

She looks down, the heat of her embarrassment flushing her skin; she's been trying to work out where to take Castle so he can smile again.

"I thought when we started dating that I was fighting a ghost. Whose ghost I had no idea, but recently, the more time we spend together, the more I realize who _he _is."

She fixes her eyes above Josh's right shoulder, refuses to rise to the bait that he's dangling. She'd had a late night yesterday and nothing but paperwork today and she's really not in the mood to fight.

"Josh–"

"No, let me finish. 'Cause it needs to be said. Because as much as I want you to be the bad guy in this, Kate, you're not. Not completely. I don't even think _he_ is." Stepping toward the sofa, Josh drops onto the edge, fingers clasped in front of him as he watches her with pity.

"I keep waiting for you to be in this. To want to be in this with me, and yet nothing ever goes forward. Sure, we spend more time together, more nights, but I knew as much about you back then as I do now."

His words slap her hard in the chest and she finds herself sinking onto the desk chair, hands gripping the edge for support.

"You're a closed book, and that's fine, Kate. I was willing to wait around for you, but the more I hear how you are with him, _with Castle_, the more I suspect that this closed off persona is just for me."

Her head shakes fiercely at the inaccuracy of his statement and she has to break in, has to explain what he doesn't see.

"It's not a persona. _This_, this is me." Her eyelids flutter until she shuts them completely, the need to say the next part in darkness takes over any need to see his reaction. "It's just that Castle looks, has always been able to see past the wall that is there. He…" He sees all that she hides behind and yet he still keeps showing up day after day unperturbed.

Well, except for last summer when it had all somehow imploded between them. That moment cascading and, to a degree, creating her current situation.

The sound of Josh standing has her eyes opening, and she watches as he moves awkwardly within the room, his hands once again running through his hair, clearly unable to work out what to do next, and she wishes she knew.

"Josh, is this…"

"Yeah, Kate. This is… us. Done."

She finds her own fingers catch in her hair, her head dropping forward, the train wreck of tonight leaving her stunned.

At the edge of her vision, she can see him grabbing his wallet and keys from the counter, his movements jerking under the same strain that has her weighted to the chair, but he turns to face her before leaving.

"Here's some friendly advice, Kate. Parting words of wisdom if you like, because someone needs to say it to you." He takes a step closer and she shifts back, sits taller in the chair, body coiled and ready to deflect what he has to say. "Let him in, or if it's not him, whoever the next poor guy in line is. Keeping everyone at arm's length isn't healthy. It's not how functional relationships work. Because one day, especially given your job, you might find you've run out of tomorrows, and then where will you be?"

He takes another step in her direction, but shakes whatever thought he had free; walks instead toward her front door. The sound of it slamming shut behind him signals his exit and she sucks in a deep breath for the first time since it had all started unraveling uncontrollably.

_What the hell has just happened?_

The corner of her thumb finds its way between her teeth, flat edges raking over her skin as she replays tonight. Sure, there were signs before this; their relationship had well and truly fallen into the rut of comfortable contentedness for over a month now, but she really didn't see this happening.

And all because she spent the night at the computer?

Her chin falls toward her chest at the blatant lie she's telling herself. While he may have been the one to start this - to end them - she owns a fair share of this break up, and as her eyes take in the empty apartment, she realizes with a heavy dose of guilt that she feels more light than heavy.

She's done what she has always done. She's kept one foot out the door and it's so that when this moment occurs and they turn and walk away, leave her, it doesn't hurt as much. Being behind a wall may mean that no one gets too close, but it also means no one gets to hurt her too badly. She's all too aware that stepping out and taking a chance can lead to heartache.

Except these days, as another year passes, she's beginning to wonder if it's worth it. She wants a future where she is free of this confinement, a future where she can delve into a life with someone, form a true partnership.

Squeezing a hand against her forehead, she pushes all those unhelpful thoughts to one side and straightens up once more, her gaze coming to rest on her computer. She wonders if does taking Castle to an Abracadabra Superstore counts as a Sunday outing? And should this really be her focus after a night like tonight?

* * *

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_Thank you for all the amazing love that filled my inbox, I truly appreciate all your reviews! _

_And thank you for all the favourites and followers xoxo_

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_Thank you to Lou for all your help with editing xoxo_

_And_

_I hope this still comes under fluff Jo? Lol_

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_I would love to hear from you xoxo_


	3. Chapter 3

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**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

Standing next to the break room door, he watches Beckett - the way she drives the stainless steel container under the nozzle, her knuckles knocking against the coffee machine, a scowl marring her normally smooth features - and he moves forward to rescue her. Or the machine, because at this rate, it's going to end up through a window.

"Hey, Beckett. Do you want some help there?" Castle asks, fingers already gliding across hers to remove the milk-frothing pitcher from her hand, but she steps sideways, banging the jug onto the counter, and he's mystified over her reaction.

The last time they'd spoken it was light and carefree. Her invitation to go out together on Sunday has since become all consuming. Yesterday had been a complete washout when it came to writing, his imagination running wild with all the possibilities, the places she could surprise him with, the adventures they could unearth, and Nikki and Rook had taken a backseat.

Yet something has happened and he can't work out how a day of paperwork has led to her volatile mood. He knows he should respect her need for privacy, just like she respected his, but he has never been quite as good at guessing where to toe the line. Surely he can be here for her without crossing a boundary. Maybe?

"Everything all right? Did the coffee machine try to give you decaf this morning?" He aims for a laugh, but her shoulders are already slumping, her body collapsing onto the nearest chair, and his concern steps up notch.

What in the world has happened?

"I'm fine, Castle."

It's a lie, he doesn't have to be a mind reader to see that. Her bottom lip is red, almost bruised from the battering her teeth have given it. The dark smudges under each eye alluding to a sleepless night and he works a little faster to get the coffee made for her. But, since his back is facing her, he uses the opportunity to hide his worry as he wonders aloud whether she has changed her mind about their semi-not really-kind of date.

"Beckett… if it's about Sunday, we can… I mean, I don't want to cause problems between you and motorcycle boy." The last thing he wants to do is add more stress to her life, even if that life is with someone else. "Sorry, I forgot. Doctor Motorcycle boy."

His statement is met with silence. Thankfully the last of the milk is done, giving him the chance to turn with her mug in his hand, yet any movement forward is halted at the lost look in her eye as she stares vacantly into the bullpen.

Taking a seat across from her, he gently places the coffee between them, his eyes drinking in every line and curve of her face. It's a rare chance to study her expression so intently - without the threat of bodily harm – and he maps all that he can, before she must sense that he is there. Her gaze settles on him and then the mug.

Drawing it toward her chest, both hands wrapping and interlocking around the porcelain, she smiles a fraction, yet she seems to remain caught in her own thoughts, and it worries him. Beckett still hasn't answered his question.

Oddly, his concern also makes him brave, his own fingers extending across the tabletop until they brush across hers. It's barely a whisper, but it brings her back to him, her eyes focusing on where their skin is scarcely touching.

"How did you feel after you broke up with Gina?"

His head snaps up as her hands leave the mug to cover her face, mumbled words of 'I'm sorry' filling the room. Her elbows crash into the table while her head bends in apparent embarrassment yet he is more curious than affronted.

"Beckett?" he gently asks, his breath lodged high in his throat while he waits, and with no response, he pulls out the big guns. "Kate? Look at me… please?"

Her head shakes, confirming that she's going to remain hidden, and he sucks in as much air and courage as he can so that he can answer her honestly.

"I was a bit numb. Felt a bit stupid that I hadn't learnt the lesson the first time. That I was foolish enough to be enthralled in the moment last summer. But if you want the truth, mostly I felt- I _feel_ relieved. Like I've been treading water and I can finally feel solid ground under my feet again."

He doesn't say that it was her that had made the last feeling occur. That it was her doing a magic trick and producing his now treasured flowers that had shown him what it is to be someone's priority, to have someone wanting to make things better.

Straightening in her seat, her long lithe fingers falling away to reveal her beautifully sculptured face, he sees that something in his explanation has helped her, her shoulders becoming square.

"If you're in it with the right person-"

"Then, like you said, Beckett, the bubble doesn't burst."

* * *

The room goes quiet, the sound of her nursing her coffee the only noise, and she smiles around the edge of her mug. They've created their own little bubble, yet what happens if this one bursts as well? What if they burst? And her mood drops along with her drink.

"Why do you think it didn't work out?" she asks.

Their normal status is dissolving between them – they usually never talk, not about this – and maybe it's because she took a step forward - asking him out to dinner - when she's the one that generally dragging her heels. Or maybe all she ever needed to do was sit across and face him instead of running… hiding… putting off the words until later, only to discover there was no later. That she had lost her chance.

Either way, despite the discomfort that comes with stripping parts of herself bare, she doesn't want to go back to that, actually wants to see this conversation through to the end.

"Mother asked the same thing to a degree. And maybe it was all the talk of magic, but I want that. I want… magic."

Castle's eyes track the movements of his fingers. Someone has spilled sugar onto the table and he makes random patterns in the fine dust. It's a continuous motion, apparently a hypnotic one, as her eyes lock on the dance he is doing.

"What brought this on, Beckett? We don't…"

He flickers a glance her way before traveling down to the white grains once more, and she debates what exactly she should tell him. She's still fighting her own thoughts, is still reeling from breaking up with Josh. Well, not reeling exactly, more confused by her feelings to the situation. It's something that should have left her hurting, yet she's experiencing more relief than anguish.

But does that mean she should tell him?

"I was just wondering. About the 'whys', I suppose. You seemed to be doing okay and then… you weren't."

It's not exactly the truth, but there is a small part of her that is curious about how something that had taken him from her, a relationship that had lasted months, suddenly becomes over – overnight. Maybe if she can find some clues in his problems, she can identify where her own issues begin.

Castle shrugs, his fingers now making a small mountain out of the sugar, and it leaves her questioning if she's taken this too far; crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed.

"Maybe we got together for the wrong reasons? Maybe coasting along just being content or at ease with someone isn't a good enough reason to keep a relationship going?"

He lifts his eyes away from the table to focus on her, his stare penetrating her soul as he continues, "Maybe a relationship _should_ be about magic. The secret codes between two people. The links that they share. The bond that defies the laws of physics."

She can't work out if there's a question in there or he is stating facts and her head dips, her eyes closing as she steals her nerves, the ones that were stomped on not that long ago as Castle left arm in arm with his now ex-wife and ex-girlfriend.

"Josh and I broke up."

It's the first time she's said it out loud, and yet the heart crashing pain that one expects after saying such a thing doesn't come. She feels more shame than anything else – that she's happy that she's free to find someone who will be there for her, someone she can be with completely. Josh's advice is still ringing in her ears.

"Oh, Beckett. I'm sorry."

* * *

He quickly wipes the sugar on his pants, hopefully removes all the grains from his fingers, and, reaching forward, he hovers his hands above hers that are again gripping onto the mug.

He really wants to engulf her, take her into his arms, and soothe away any hurt that she feels but that's hardly the first step in this situation. He just wishes he knew what it was.

"Don't be. I mean." Beckett shakes her head, clearly unable to work out what to say next, and she isn't alone. He still has no idea what to say or do now that she has dropped this little bombshell between them. Except jumping on top of the table top and cheering, and that's definitely something that should not be on the list of responses.

"Is there something I can do? Do you want to talk about it? Or…" There's nothing after the or and he ponders how he gets paid to write for a living when his words are clearly letting him down here. She looks at him in response, her eyebrow high, clearly screaming the fact that of all the things she wants to do, rehashing her break up is not one of them, and he scrambles for something else to say.

"Are you okay? Because if you need someone to understand what you're going through – I'm your guy."

Some part of his last sentence catches her attention, the corner of her mouth dancing upward, her eyes appearing to regain some of the spark that was missing when he entered, and he could clap himself on the back. All he needs to add now is a magic trick and dinner, and he can return the happiness that she'd given him after his own break up.

"I know. Comfort food. Tonight. I'll bring over mac and cheese, and a bottle of wine that will have you forgetting your own name. We can dwell on being single, together."

His brain catches up with his mouth about three seconds too late; comprehends that for the first time in nearly a year they are both single. That the _thing _that exists between them, the _thing _that - at least for him - has been filed under not possible, could be possible. They are both very single and have come a long way as friends, as partners, since the last time this occurred.

"That would actually be really nice, Castle," she agrees.

And maybe, just maybe anything is possible!

* * *

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Thank you so much, I know I say it individually, unless you are a guest reviewer, but it will always deserve repeating.

Thank you for making my day xoxo

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Thanks to Lou for her betaing skills

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Thoughts?


	4. Chapter 4

**.**

**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

Trying not to analyze the events of tonight before they've even happened, Kate runs the cloth over the counter, _again_. It has almost become ridiculous the amount of times she's gone over every surface of her kitchen, but it beats the alternative of sitting and waiting for Castle to arrive. Or worse, sitting and thinking. His invitation earlier today – that he was bringing mac and cheese around for dinner - had caused a slight flip to her heart, and now, so many hours later she may as well have stuck a knife into an electrical outlet considering its rapid pace.

She's not nervous, not at all, except at some point after arriving home and washing the days grime away, she's had to start the mantra of '_he's__ just a friend_' and she's having to play it on repeat. The little voice that's whispering in her ear is becoming louder and louder. It keeps snickering at the concept that the two of them could just be friends. Or that she can continue to avoid the mysterious pull that draws them together no matter how much she tries to fight it. Which leads to the question of why exactly is she trying to fight it?

Heading toward the fridge for another wipe over, she's saved, thankfully, by a loud knock at the door, and, throwing the cloth in the general direction of the sink, Kate wipes her hands against the rear of her jeans and faces the entrance.

He's _just_ a friend and this is _just_ dinner.

Striding forward and throwing the door open with a confidence she doesn't quite feel, she witnesses Castle rearranging his hair before his hand drops quickly to his side. She's not really sure if it's embarrassment, but _something_ flashes across his eyes. The drum of his fingers begins against his thigh and his whole body almost appears to be leaning to his left, and she suddenly realizes – he's just as nervous as she is.

And as wrong as it probably is, seeing his anxiety releases some of her own. Whatever her feelings are in regards to tonight, to them, she's not alone in this predicament.

"Hey, Beckett. Wow, nice place."

"Thanks."

His eyes flitter around the interior of her apartment, no doubt gathering little bits of information to be stored away for later, and her gaze wanders of its own accord. She takes in the red shirt that emphasizes his broad shoulders, the way his biceps strain against the material. Not that she'll ever admit it aloud but she secretly admires them whenever he takes off his coat.

"Where's your coat?"

Chuckling in response to her question, his whole body moves with the action. He seems to find it a lot more humorous than it is and she tries not to take offence as she continues to look down. Although now it's more to avoid his laughter than in admiration and as she hides her face, she comprehends for the first time since he arrived that both of his hands are empty.

There's not going to be any mac and cheese if he hasn't brought it with him because she is missing a few key ingredients from her fridge, the main one being cheese.

"Are we… are we not having dinner?"

"Not here. I have a surprise. Come on, Beckett."

Stepping to her side, he places a hand to the small of her back and begins ushering her out of the apartment. Caught off guard by the warmth now seeping through her shirt, he gets three easy steps from her before she comes to a stop.

"Where are we going?"

* * *

Castle knew that it wouldn't be that simple, that it _couldn't_ be that simple; a mere hand at her back and a smile on his face, wasn't going to have her exiting without a protest. Doing so would hardly be _her_, and she is all that he wants, stubborn streak included.

"Go with the flow, Beckett. We just need to walk over to Leonard Street."

He desperately hopes that everything he has planned remains a surprise, and while it was probably unlikely for her to come along without a question or two, he still has his fingers crossed that for the most part she comes without getting all the information out of him.

"What's on Leonard?"

She digs in her heels, he can feel it, and he pushes down the whine that wants to escape, his plea for her to follow along without needing to know everything.

Isn't magic all about trusting until the big reveal?

Not waiting for his answer, Beckett is already twisting back toward her kitchen and his eyes shut tightly as he attempts to work out what he can reveal without revealing too much.

Lost in thought he almost misses her movements around the room and if wasn't for the fact that he's so attuned to her - he's sure that he could hunt her down blindfolded - he would've failed to notice that's she's walked back to her front door.

"Do I need a coat, Castle?"

Opening his eyes, he nods mutely. He's stumped by the fact that she is standing there, keys in one hand, ready to go, and it's like a herd of elephants thundering within his chest. Whatever it is that's been changing between them since Monday, since she'd stayed for dinner at the loft, it's all for the better and it's doing magnificent things to his confidence and his heart.

"It's cold out, but you won't need one once we're there."

His reply has her going to retrieve her coat and he can only just hear her as she asks, "Then where's yours?"

That's actually a good question, but one that he's choosing to ignore. He had discarded it as the anticipation of tonight caused a thin layer of sweat to bead across his forehead. In spite of the weather, he's nursing his own internal flame and the heat radiating from that had him traveling the short distance to her place without even realizing he was forgetting the extra layer.

Holding her door wide, he grins, continues to pretend he doesn't see the way her eyebrow remains elevated in question, and ushering her into the hallway, he breathes a sigh of relief. That was a whole lot easier than he'd expected and he hopes with all he has that the rest of their night goes just as smoothly.

* * *

Walking along side Castle without interrogating him about where they are going or what is for dinner is taking all of her restraint. He'd looked so deflated when she started asking questions that she's forcing herself to bite down on her usual curiosity.

"Okay, we're nearly there. Any chance you'd wear a blindfold for the big reveal?"

Castle's question has her mind flashing to images not at all appropriate for the middle of the sidewalk and she replies, "Not this early in the night, Castle."

His head whips around, eyes wide, mouth open, but before he gets to reply, his feet trip over themselves and he only just manages to avoid falling to the ground. Doing her best to reign in the giggle that desperately want to be free, she covers one hand over her mouth, curls falling forward as she ducks to hide her amusement over his near accident, which is why she misses his abrupt stop.

"We're here, Beckett."

Looking up and down the row of buildings, she can't see anything that would explain what they'd be doing for dinner. He promised mac and cheese and her heart is now set on it. Turning back to face Castle for an explanation, she catches sight of what is packed next to the curb and heart explodes a little. Or a lot.

It's a comfort truck.

This crazy, loveable partner of hers didn't bring mac and cheese for dinner, he brought it _all _for dinner and the realization has her teeth piercing her bottom lip; no one has ever done something like this for her. She's has no other option but to shove down the swell of emotion that's coming with this thought, god forbid it all comes babbling out, or worse, she displays just how much it means to her. She's not ready for that. Not yet.

"Do you like it? Because if not we can just grab some dinner and head back to yours? Or we could grab something else if you're craving a different type of food?" His questions are rolling over each other and the rush of words only adds to her feeling of being completely stunned. Her speechlessness continues as he throws open the back doors revealing the interior and the additions she's assuming he's added. There are two stools and a small table squished into the small walkway toward the back, and her teeth sink further into the already abused flesh of her lip as she gazes at the little red and white checked cloth that's covering their 'table'.

Doesn't he see that this is perfect? Doesn't he see that he's created… "It's magic, Castle. It's… I love it."

* * *

Stepping into the narrow entrance, Castle tries not to let her see what her words have done to him. There's a lump in his throat and his heart is thrashing so loudly in his chest she is sure to hear it. He went out on a limb by pulling some strings to get the comfort truck from a friend of a friend but it doesn't matter. The favors he now owes are nothing when compared with how priceless it is to be on the receiving end of one her smiles - especially one of _those _smiles where her face lights up, joy radiating from every part of her.

"Let me guess, Castle, you know a guy."

Turning around, he wiggles his eyebrows while remaining quiet on how exactly he got the truck, or just how many times he circled the block while he attempted to find somewhere to park the thing. Beckett's still grinning and he takes a moment to bask in her glow before he focuses on the food.

"So everything is already made." He lifts the nearest lid in demonstration. "We have mac and cheese, biscuits, gravy, if you can think of it, I'm sure it's in one of these dishes."

He retrieves a take away container and holds it out as Beckett steps inside to join him, and as she peers under the closest lid, he tries his best to keep his glee contained. He wouldn't have thought it was possible, but the smile on her face is only increasing.

It's like a magic wand has been waved and its powers are breathtaking. She is breathtaking.

Her not so subtle cough alerts him to the fact that at some point his stare has continued past the point of being sociably acceptable, and he attempts to cover it up by grabbing his own container and scooping in a decent serving of mac and cheese. Moving on to the next lid, he lifts it and picks up some warm biscuits before shuffling to the far stool. Sitting down, he peers through his lashes to watch her as she continues to explore the available options. Her smile is still there, and he breathes it in, welcomes the rush that once again washes over him. The fact that a little bit of magic has turned this mornings forlorn-looking Beckett into a now delighted Kate makes him giddy and yet he has to ask, "Are you sure this is okay? Does it beat making mac and cheese at home?"

"Well, I was looking forward to seeing you in a frilly apron, but I suppose this is an acceptable replacement."

Sitting down across from him, the sparkle in Beckett's eyes alludes to the fact that her words are all for show, and he joins in on their verbal play.

"Damn, I missed an opportunity there. I have one at home that says, 'kiss the cook' and I would've been happy to wear it while cooking for you."

Her reply is only a deep breath in and to stare at his mouth, and he suddenly finds himself having the opposite issue - he can't get any air in at all. The fantasy of her mouth on his has the temperature escalating, and while it certainly isn't the first time that he has thought of kissing her - it's not even the first hundredth time he has thought about it - usually he tries to put a cap on those thoughts, especially when there is barely two feet separating them.

Two feet that could so easily be eradicated if only he leaned forward.

* * *

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Don't kill me Jo :/ lol, it's a stretched out birthday present ;-)

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Thank you so very, very, much for the overwhelming response.

Having recently celebrated my six month anniversary of writing, I pinch myself everyday to be on the receiving end of such beautiful love and support xoxo

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Thank you Lou for all your wonderful beta-ing skills!

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Thoughts?


	5. Chapter 5

**.**

**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

The comfort truck becomes void of any sound as Castle continues to stare at her mouth. He desperately needs to say something, but his mind is nothing but vacant space and untouchable dreams. The desire he has to lean forward and close the two feet that separates them hasn't abated - if anything his need to act only increases the longer they remain stuck in this moment.

But he can't.

More to the point, he won't, because this morning he discovered that Beckett broke up with Josh. Which means yesterday she had a relationship break down and regardless of the fact that it's only been forty-eight hours since his own relationship has ended, regardless of how he feels and how much he wants her, he doubts she is looking to start something new after such an event.

Dragging his eyes away from her, he concentrates on eating dinner but he swears he hears a sigh escape into the space between them and he wonders whether his assumption is wrong. Could she have been waiting for him to make the first move?

"Maybe Sunday night I could cook you dinner, Beckett? After we go out on our date."

Obviously someone has altered the pasta because that is _not_ his mouth using the words 'we' and 'date' in the same sentence and he quickly attempts to backpedal. "Not date. When we go and do that thing... Whatever that thing is we're going to do. What are we doing?"

Sneaking a fleeting glance up, he sees the surprise written as clear as day across her face, and he joins her shocked state, as she asks, "It's not a date?"

Wow. Maybe it is a date.

"Do you want it to be a date?"

"What? No. I mean... It isn't... It shouldn't?"

"Of course. Because it's just..."

Again there is nothing but silence and somehow they've fallen back into old habits. Habits that have proven to be destructive in the past, and all the progress that he thought they were making since Monday appears to be dissolving. He can't do this again, he can't watch them sink into the quick sand of avoidance.

"You've only just broken up with Josh. I've only just broken up with Gina. We should settle into life as single people first."

He stabs his plastic fork into a piece of pasta and imagines it's his tongue because he couldn't have screwed that up anymore if he tried.

"I mean..." Okay he really has no idea what he means, just that he doesn't want to rush her, no matter how much he wishes they could be together.

"You mean we should take some time, as single people, to come to terms with that."

Nodding along to what Beckett's saying, he concurs - to a degree.

"How long though?"

"Huh?"

Apparently his question has left her even more perplexed, but he has to go at her pace. He won't risk a possible _them_ by rushing her.

"If one was wanting to put a timeline together on how long is long enough between finishing a relationship and starting a new one? How long would be long enough between these two events?"

Drawing in a large breath of air, he realizes he may have just taken subtext to a new and confusing place, and gathering by the way Beckett draws her eyebrows together - that adorable line forming in between them - she agrees.

"How long should we wait before we start dating?"

Beckett's question has left subtext at the door and her pasta appears to be tarnished with the same substance that his is. Her mouth widens with astonishment and he tries not to laugh as she does her best to gloss over the proverbial slip.

"I meant people. How long should people wait before starting a new relationship? If they were thinking of starting a new one?"

Damn, could she have asked a more difficult question?!

"Ummm, maybe…" His heart and certain body parts are begging for him to answer with a day, because going by that he could throw their food onto the nearest flat surface and Beckett along with it. Yet his head, although only marginally, yells the loudest; Kate deserves perfection, she deserves to have the best of everything, and if this thing between them has any chance of surviving he has to do this right.

He deeply wants this to last. Wants _them_ to last.

"A week? A week seems like a decent enough time to reflect on past mistakes, review what went wrong and why, so that those oversights and issues don't occur again."

He can survive a week of them both being single and not acting on it... maybe?

Giving a sharp nod, Beckett seems to agree, and he mimics her movements.

A week. Seven days. How hard could this be?

* * *

Dragging the last piece of pasta through her sauce, Kate hopes the moan of pleasure she releases is only in her head. Dinner was perfect and tonight has been amazing. After their earlier confusion and clarification, they'd returned to normal; laughing at recent cases, poking fun at Castle's wild theories, and she wonders why they don't do this more often. Although that certainly looks like it's changing.

Lifting a hand to cover her spontaneous and slightly embarrassing yawn, she tries not to giggle as Castle catches the infection, his jaw cracking as he stretches his mouth wide.

"Time to call it a night, Castle."

She doesn't want their dinner to end, but as she goes about disposing of her plates – because sampling everything was only polite – she watches him fight against another yawn and knows that it's for the best. They both need some sleep, especially as she's been given the task of going through cold cases for the next three days.

Throwing the truck's doors open and stepping into the frozen night air, she's forced to pivot quickly in order to retrieve her coat. The warmth of dinner had her discarding it early on, but before she has the chance to go back in, Castle is already holding it out for her.

"Thanks, it's-" The rest of her comment on the weather is abruptly cut short as her phone buzzes noisily with a text and scrolling through the message, she contemplates whether the request is possible. She's sure that Castle is only occupied on Friday morning with meetings, and she replies with a 'no problem'.

"Is everything okay?"

Peering up from the phone, she realizes that he's locked the comfort truck and is making his way to stand beside and she offers a smile while confirming with a nod.

"Kaposwki was calling in a favor I owe her. She needs to swap my Sunday off, for tomorrow."

"Oh."

Never has a single syllable been uttered in such a disheartened manner and she searches his face for an explanation, or at least a clue as to why his appearance is completely dejected.

Shuffling in the direction of her apartment, Castle's entire body screams defeat and while normally she'd let him wallow in his mood, she's had too much of an amazing time to let him end their date, _their dinner,_ this way.

"What's wrong?"

Forcing herself to jog so she can close the rapidly growing space between them, she hears the standard, 'nothing', from his lips and her heart cracks a fraction. She's not letting it go that easily though. Not tonight, not when the magic between them had been shining so brightly.

_Oh_. Magic and Sunday.

"Are you free tomorrow? So we can swap Sunday's plans around…?"

Castle, thankfully, comes to a stop, and it gives her the opportunity to move her body so that she's turned to the side. She can now see a better view of his face, and, more importantly, she's able to see the light returning to his features as he mulls over her questions.

"You want to take me out tomorrow instead of Sunday?"

The shock in his voice has her mentally kicking herself. It's a timely reminder that for all that they could be 'twins' sometimes, they are extraordinary far off the mark with each other.

"Yes, Castle. If you're free that is?"

"Yeah, yeah. Tomorrow's good. I have meetings all Friday morning, but I can do tomorrow."

That's what she'd thought. Whether he knows it or not, she is well aware of his schedule.

Shifting to her left in order to walk beside him, they fall into an easy rhythm as they head toward her apartment, and, smiling, she lets herself take pleasure in the simple things. The way that every second step brings them a fraction closer. How the skin on her fingers skim ever so lightly across his as they drift together before sliding away for their next step, and she can't help but wonder what it would be like to fit her hand into his. To be linked to him as they strolled along the sidewalk.

"Beckett? Can I ask-"

In spite of nothing interrupting his words, his lips close, the rest remaining unsaid, and she purposely takes a step closer, her shoulder knocking into his.

Their eyes meet, and he appears to read the question on her face, while she sees nothing but uncertainty in his.

"If it's that bad, I just won't answer. But you can ask, Castle."

He nods, his eyes tracking the placement of his feet, but she easily hears the rest of his question.

"What caused you and Josh to…"

Looking down at the sidewalk as they turn on to her street, she almost misses his side glance, the worry encased in his look, and she sucks in as much air and courage as she can so that she's able to answer him. So that she can return the honesty that he'd given her this morning.

It's just… where does she begin?

"Do you ever feel like there are two of you? Different versions of yourself that people see?"

"You mean like a page six you, and an actual you?"

She should have known that he would understand. She's not the only one that puts on a persona to hide her inner self.

"Exactly. I realize that I'm not the easiest person to get to know…" She doesn't have to look at Castle to know that he is biting down on a comment about how that is the understatement of the year. "It's just sometimes that need to keep everything to myself backfires. I have... walls. Walls that are too high for anyone to see over."

Walking into her foyer, she let's her explanation percolate between them.

"I see you."

Her hand slaps the button for the elevator as her eyes close with his declaration – in three words he has captured it all.

Stepping through the open doors, she moves to one side, makes it clear that he can join her, even if her stare is focused in front of them. They haven't quite finished this exposé into her failed relationship and she owes him more than just half truths.

"You see, Castle. You look, and that's kind of the point." She has no idea how to explain that he has crept past walls she thought were impenetrable. That he has become so much more than a tag along, how - not that long ago - they'd been on the verge of a maybe and how they are now standing on that line once again.

Everything inside of her needs a different outcome this time.

"I don't let people in. I don't get hurt that way. But I want… I want more. I want to be…"

There's nothing else as the elevator opens and they walk toward her front door. Never has she hated her inability to put it all together coherently.

"I couldn't be the person that Josh wanted. I couldn't, or maybe I just didn't try hard enough - to be someone who lets others in."

Thumping the back of her head against the wood behind her, she sags against the door's frame as she gazes toward Castle hesitantly. She has no idea if this has made any sense, or if it will drive him further from her, but it's as close to the truth as she can verbalize.

The expressions that flicker across the lines of his face, the emotions within his eyes, have her holding her breath. The air she needs sits heavily between them, but in the end he nods, something apparently making sense, at least to him.

Bending at the waist, he leans toward her, and it takes everything to remain still and standing as he closes the gap, his mouth drifting ever so closer to her own.

This is it, the first time they kiss, the first time his lips slide over hers, except, at the last second, he shifts to the right a fraction, and in a move that brings back memories of their first case, he brushes his mouth across the rounded corner of her cheek.

Oh so close and yet nowhere near close enough.

"So, you'll pick me up in the morning?"

The heat that escapes as he asks the question ghosts across her skin and she can only nod in reply; if she opens her mouth it will be to tell him that their week of being single can be damned, that she wants him now.

But as he moves along the corridor the impulse to say something, _anything_, wins against her normal desire to remain silent.

"Until tomorrow, Castle."

Looking over his shoulder, she catches a glimpse of his smile as it stretches slowly across his face and it tells her that he remembers, that he heard her perfectly, and he nods before disappearing around the corner.

Until tomorrow is more hopeful, and she has high hopes for them.

* * *

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Thank you to each and every one of you that left beautiful messages of encouragement, it means the world xoxo

and thank you to all that favourite, follow and read!

.

Thanks to Lou for the beta, you rock.

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Thought?


	6. Chapter 6

**.**

**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

"This is silly, Castle."

The indecision bleaching Beckett's announcement has him coming to a stop beside her and he attempts to work out what's gone wrong. Everything was fine this morning; she'd picked him up at a decent hour - coffee in her hand for a change - but since they'd parked the car and started walking along the sidewalk, her whole demeanour has shifted.

He's not used to seeing her so… _uncertain_.

"How about you tell me what we're doing and then let me be the judge of that?" Because he can't see how something she has planned will be anything but brilliant. For all he cares they could sit on a park bench and do nothing but people watch for the rest of the day - he'd be ecstatic. He'd be with her.

Pivoting on the spot, Beckett eyes him carefully, the corner of her thumb trapped between her teeth, and he fights the urge to remove the tortured flesh and kiss it better. Kiss her better.

"This… here… this is it."

He looks around the sidewalk, his gaze skimming over the light crowd around them until he notices behind her, maybe ten feet or so, stands Drake's Magic shop and his heart thumps hard.

"You brought me back to the crime scene?"

Shaking her head, her loose curls bounce slightly and she answers, "I wanted you to have…" Her shoulders shrug, as if that was explanation enough and it takes him a moment but he gets it.

"You brought me magic?"

The awe in his voice is all that she apparently needed to hear, and her hand drops to her side as she nods. The hesitancy is still flickering inside her eyes but the smile that's gradually creeping across her face creates one of his own.

Taking him by the hand, Beckett pulls him the rest of the way along, and, upon entering, she makes her way to the store clerk. The young girl behind the counter, obviously familiar with Beckett, smiles in recognition as she passes a medium sized basket to them.

"Okay, so today you have this," Kate announces, and he peers into the woven basket with a slight frown on his face. What is he supposed to do with an empty basket?

"And you have free run of the store. I will resist from making comments, remarks, or disparaging critiques on your choices and you get to fill it to the top. Just to the top. Don't be thinking you can pile so much in there that it begins overflowing. To. The. Top, Castle."

His head shakes side to side, but it's not because he's disagreeing with her, it's just that his mind is still outside trying to comprehend that she brought him here of all places.

"No you don't understand? Or no you won't overfill?"

"You're buying me magic?"

Huffing out a laugh, it's her turn to shake her head. His inability to get past that point seems to be a great source of amusement.

"Yes, Castle, I'm buying you a basket worth of magic." Looking back and forth at the object of discussion and his breathtaking partner, he witnesses her earlier doubt crawling back into her features. "I know it's not a comfort truck. And you're a best selling author that could buy the entire store if you so desired. I just…"

Pushing the basket to the side, he steps into her personal space and while doing his best not to brush his body up against hers too much – after all they agreed to remain single and this is only day two of seven – he places an arm around her shoulders so that he can whisper into her ear.

"I love it." The 'I love you' remains unsaid and he wonders how he is going to survive another five more days of this before he falls to his knees and confesses that he can't wait another second.

Regardless of the weeks, months, and years that they have doing this dance, now that they are here, he's discovering that the last strands of their song are going to be the hardest to live through.

* * *

Standing at the back of the shop, she grins. She had her doubts about taking him here for their 'date' but seeing him literally skip past the shelves has removed all her worry. He looks so happy, so carefree, the very definition of a child in a candy store.

"Oooo, Beckett. I didn't know that this place also does costumes now."

His body vibrates with excitement and it washes over her as she closes the gap between them. She almost doesn't want to look. Knowing him, she can already guess as to what he is searching for.

"This one is perfect."

Holding the barely there cop uniform against his body, eyebrows wiggling in delight, she resists the urge to refute his selection. She'd promised at the start that it was his day, his choices that would go into the basket, but she can't resist a little dig at his preference.

"Isn't it a bit small for you, Castle?"

His only response is to slowly stare down the length of her body as if mapping each and every curve and line, until as he reaches her toes, he snaps up to make eye contact.

"I think it will fit perfectly."

Her body shifts against her will as she attempts to control the heat that's spreading low, the ache that is ever present, although normally much more manageable. However, two can play at this game.

Darting her eyes across the items on the shelf, she spots the packet of handcuffs, and, moving to grab them, she throws her selection into the basket.

"A good cop should always have back up readily available."

Castle's mouth opens forming the perfect O and she schools her features. The last thing she wants is to give him back the upper hand in this little battle of innuendo. She does like it on top.

"There's no key to these, Beckett."

Edging past him, she rises to the tips of her toes, placing her lips against the shell of his ear to whisper.

"They release to moisture, Castle. You need to… lick them."

Strutting in the opposite direction, her hands clasped in front of her body as she resists the urge to throw her arms in the air and clap over her victory, she turns around the corner. Grateful to see a support column, her body sags against it. It's all well and good playing with fire, but the scorch marks on her skin tell her that she got burned just as badly as he did. Damn, she may not survive this week.

Sensing Castle's approach, she straightens and feigns interest in the boxes of cards next to her – although the pink tinge that's now painting her skin is most likely a giveaway to the thoughts and feelings zipping through her body.

Thankfully he seems unaware of her dilemma as he walks past, stating, "We should find something to prank the boys with."

Twisting, she joins him as he strolls toward the magic section of the store, and she notes that both the cop outfit and the handcuffs have disappeared from his basket. Ignoring the twinge of disappointment, she follows his lead and searches for something that will play havoc on Espo and Ryan.

"Is there anything in particular you're looking for, Castle?"

He shrugs in reply, and, rolling her eyes at his unhelpful response, she tries again. "Do you want to scare them? Or...?"

"Ummm, I don't want to scar them for life. But they've had the odd chuckle at my expense so a little bit of payback seems appropriate."

Stretching, she plucks a can of snakes off the shelf and holds it out to him. "You could go with the classic. It looks like a can of Pringles and yet…"

"I like it." Castle pushes the basket toward her and she drops it inside as he exclaims, "Whoopi cushions. We have to get one. Such a classic."

Her head shakes as she wonders exactly how old he is. Although if you can't beat them…

"This one gives out an electric shock. Could spark your ass?" She laughs at her own joke yet he stiffens next to her, and she steals a glance in his direction.

His eyes are shut, lips pressed together tightly, appearing is if he's doing his best to hold it in, but she's learning that it's better for them if they say what needs to be said.

"What is it, Castle?"

He opens one eye, and like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he replies with a squeak. "I can't."

Placing her hand on his hip, she tugs at his shirt, more determined then ever to hear what he is thinking. "Tell me."

Breathing in, Castle pauses, his penetrating gaze searching hers, until finally.

"There are images not appropriate for where we are, racing through my over active imagination."

Oh. Well she did ask.

Maintaining their eye contact, she battles internally for a response that toes the line they have drawn rather than crosses it.

* * *

He watches as her mouth opens in reply, but the sudden ringing of her phone cuts her short and he inwardly curses. What in the world did he ever do to the Universe that would require he be interrupted so frequently?

"Beckett."

She hasn't moved from his side so he listens with half an ear as he goes back to perusing the various options before him. Something in here has to give him a little revenge.

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir."

Sounding even more professional than normal, if that's even possible, Beckett seems to be agreeing with whomever is on the phone, and having no luck finding something for the boys, he throws in a box of color changing silks. You can never go wrong with scarves, and if he can't make the trick work, he's sure that he can come up with a better use for them.

"I will notify her agent when I'm called to my next body drop, Sir."

Shuffling closer, his attention now captivated by the mystery unfolding next to him, he leans closer to Beckett's phone in an attempt to hear the other side of the conversation. So intent on listening in, he nearly misses her hand lifting toward his ear, but luckily he's able to duck away in time.

If there's going to be any pain, he wants to enjoy a bit of pleasure first!

"Yes, Sir."

Finishing her call, Beckett stares intently in his direction and he holds her gaze and waits. His desire to know what that was all about wins over his usual need to hide himself away from her piercing glare, and he tries to stand a little taller. He wasn't doing anything wrong.

It's on the fourth breath in that she breaks the tension by grinning, the serious expression on her face morphing into one that is more relaxed. Seemingly, her crankiness was all for show, and it's the kind of joke that leaves his heart pounding faster.

"That was the Captain. Apparently HR informed him that I will be getting a new tag along."

What?

"_What?"_

"Yep. It seems Natalie Rhodes, the actress, is playing Nikki Heat and wants to shadow me for a couple of days."

What?

"_What__?"_

"And what, Castle? It'll be just the same as having you around."

Drifting off to the next row of shelves, Beckett seems completely unaware of the absurdity of her statement. How could some two bit actress be the same as him? He helps! He solves crime! He's her plucky side kick - her… _partner_!

Looking sideways, her head angles in his direction, a hand pushing the loose strands behind her ear, and he tries, badly, to hold it together under her scrutiny. There's a worry in his heart that this interloper is going to throw off their rhythm, especially when they're sitting on the verge of being… extraordinary.

"I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say, Castle. You're the only one I need. Seriously, don't worry about her." Walking into his side, Beckett surprisingly loops an arm around his back and his automatically slides across her shoulder's. If this is how she consoles him when he is worried, he should express his anxieties more often.

"I just don't want anything messing with what we have."

Squeezing him in reassurance, she takes a step back, but thankfully maintains contact between them, her fingers filling the gaps between his own.

"It'll be fine, Castle. You'll see, but I'll have to take a rain check on dinner tonight. I'll need to go back to the precinct later. Finish up on as many of the cold cases as I can in case a body drops in the morning."

Pushing down the huff of sadness – he wanted more time with Beckett, not less – he tries for her sake to enjoy the rest of their morning at Drake's, but the niggling doubt over what tomorrow will bring continues to gnaw at him.

As they part on the sidewalk, he makes a promise to himself, to Kate, that regardless of who comes into their lives in the next five days, he's going to remain focused on making it to Tuesday.

Seven days will be up and all the possibilities will be theirs.

* * *

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Thank you for all the support and encouragement xoxo it truly leaves me speechless!

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Thanks to Lou for the beta and Jamie for the magic assistance, as well as to those that listen to me complaining xoxo

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Thoughts?


	7. Chapter 7

**.**

**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

The ring box cuts into Castle's palm, his fingers curling around the edges and he squeezes. The indignation that Ryan wants to just _'ask' _has him wanting to shake his friend. You don't just _ask_ the biggest question of your life. Even if, in his case, it's been asked twice.

"Actually most girls prefer something a little more intimate." Beckett's voice interrupts their conversation and he can't believe that Ryan is nodding along in agreement.

"What, so he's just supposed to be boring and ask, 'Will you marry me?'" He lifts the velvet covered box toward her, and, flicking the lid open - exposing the ring - he attempts to prove his point. Only he forgets for a moment what exactly he is asking, and more to the point whom.

This is Beckett. This is his 'never gonna happen' 'far off fantasy', where one day he hopes that his most secret of dreams will come to pass. Where - not that he will ever admit it publicly - he'll get to utter this most magical of questions to her. And he's gone and kind of proposed in an alleyway.

Her eyes widen, head tilting to the side and he swears there's a 'yes' on the tip of her tongue. Although that might be more his delusions whispering the word rather than actual reality. Still, there's a definite moment before Ryan goes to take the ring away from him, that he can feel the… _possibilities _in a promise of _soon_.

Side stepping Ryan, he dramatically claps his hands together - discretely pushing the box up his sleeve - before splaying his fingers open to reveal his now empty hands.

"What…? Where…? How…?" Ryan splutters his astonishment, starring in horror at the fact that Jenny's future engagement ring has disappeared and Castle chuckles quietly. Gotcha.

Watching the expressions play across Ryan's face, he doesn't see Beckett, the way she inches closer, until it's too late, her fingers apparently in and out of his jacket's sleeve without him realizing. It's only when she holds the ring box out to Ryan that he comprehends that her hands were on him again and he didn't even feel it. First his phone and now this!

"You got me again!" he exclaims, and she responds with a sexy wiggle of her eyebrows before heading toward the crime scene.

Left with nothing to do but follow the pull between them, he trails after her. However, as she begins telling him about the victim, he forces himself to switch gears in order to concentrate on the reason that they are here. Listening as the boys add in their information, he resists commenting on Ryan's rose-colored outlook on marriage, lifting an eyebrow instead. It's Espo, clearly less than impressed, who begins muttering about puppy love as he follows after his partner, the two of them moving away to start calling the witnesses in.

Turning to face Beckett now that they have some privacy, or as much as one can get in the middle of a crime scene, he announces, "So I contacted the studio last night. Got them to send Natalie Rhodes' audition tape to me, and I'm not impressed. I don't care what she does in preparation for a role. Or how many days she spends in a crawl space. She's not Nikki. Nikki Heat is a smart, complicated detective with, with enormous... depth, and-"

Lifting a hand, Beckett cups his chin, turning him toward the alleyway's entrance and he notices the black town car.

"Tell me that's a surprise visit from the Mayor?!"

"No, Castle. I notified Natalie that a body dropped. Now play nice."

Play nice! Seriously!

Feigning his best pseudo-smile, he pushes his annoyance down while the glee spreads across Beckett's face. He can't understand why she has agreed to this, why she's happy and willing to indulge this poor impostor and her demand for a closer look into Nikki's life - _their_ life.

Unsurprisingly, Natalie lives up to his low expectations as she's introduced to the rest of the team; he can understand the fact that the boys are not the main focus of her attention, but when he barely receives an acknowledgment, he can't help but shake his head in disbelief – does she not know who he is?!

Dividing up what needs to be done, Beckett sends Ryan and Espo in the direction of the victim's office, leaving him following the newly formed 'best buddies' - his muse and his muse's wannabe. Natalie's off-handed remark that his name 'sounded familiar' still stings – badly. How can she not know who he is?

"Hello, I'm your creator."

* * *

Natalie prances toward her adoring crowd of fans and he resists the urge to throw her coat and purse after her. His mother raised him better than that. Beckett's raised him better than that!

"I still can't believe you said it was okay for her to tail us." The whine in his voice leaks through in spite of his desire for it to sound less like he's throwing a tantrum and more like he's commenting on Beckett's normally good sense.

"Not 'us', Castle, me."

Oh. _Oh_. He sees what this really is – Beckett's a fan. A fan of _her._

"Oh. My. God. You like her, don't you?

"Yeah, so?"

_So_? So what happened to her usual refined taste in all things?

"So was it her work in Mutilation High that changed your life or perhaps Demon Patrol?"

"Well, the way that she beheaded those zombies with the samurai sword was pretty cool."

Okay. Beckett does have a point; zombies and samurai swords are up there on his list of all things cool, but…

"Yes, it was cool, but that does not make her Nikki Heat! Nikki Heat is classy, she's complicated, she's a... thinking man's cop."

Shifting the monstrosity of a coat in his arms, he watches as Natalie flitters among the cops, being anything but!

"Well, you can't judge a book by its cover."

"Yes, actually. Yes, I can. When it's my book. And she's a civilian. I mean aren't you afraid she's gonna get in the way and mess up the case?"

Beckett lifts an eyebrow, her kissable lips drawing together as if fighting back a smirk, and he realizes that he may have forgotten that technically he's a civilian. Except comparing what he does to _her _is like comparing – okay he is coming up blank, which only shows him how ridiculous this is.

Taking her eyes off him, Beckett concentrates on the uniforms walking into the bullpen, and he watches as their witnesses are ushered into a vacant room.

"Can you..." Beckett lifts the coat in her arms and he nods, stepping forward a fraction so that she can pile it on top, before she struts purposely across the room, calling out as she goes. "Hey, Natalie! Want to join in on your first interview?"

* * *

This morning they have done nothing but hear from less than helpful witnesses and sleazy PIs, so listening to Espo explain that Tonya and Bill Wellington declined their interview request, that they apparently didn't see it as important enough, irritates her to no end. They have a lead thanks to Natalie and the bag of money, but it's going to fizzle out because of uncooperative people.

Not on her watch.

"Let's see if they'll accept an invitation to my interrogation party." Standing as she states her opinion on the matter, she swears Ryan's eyes flicker the length of her body.

What the?

"So uncanny," he whispers to Espo, whose whole body seems to be edging away from her, except as he joins in with a "spooky" she realizes that he's not looking at her and she turns, tracking his line of sight.

Her confusion quickly morphs as Castle chimes in with a "sexy" and there's now a heated flush spreading up from her chest that she hopes no one notices. The lower timbre of his voice, the way he breathed the word out, cuts straight to her core, but in next second a wash of cold water chills any fire. Was he directing the sexy at her…? Or at… Natalie?

Ignoring that worrying thought, she concentrates on the actress beside her who appears to be mimicking her stance. Does she really look like _that_?

"Are you... doing... me?"

"I'm just working on your posture. You know it changes depending whether you have a suspect or not."

Replying with a stunned "really?" she responds automatically, barley noticing that Natalie has left; directs the boys to do the same. The ever-growing headache is drawing her attention away from the others, from the case, and self-consciously she attempts to sit on the edge of the desk, crossing and uncrossing her arms self-consciously. The whole thing is beginning to feel… _awkward_.

Looking up, she sees Castle doing his best to smother his smirk. He had reservations about this from the start and she's just waiting for the 'I told you' he no doubt wants to add.

"Say it, Castle."

"Say what?"

Looking at him, she lifts an eyebrow and waits but he merely smiles sweetly instead. Apparently he's not going there and she probably should be thankful. The pain between her eyebrows certainly is.

"Are you free for dinner tonight?"

His arms uncross, a hand running through his beautiful head of hair, and she longs to do the same. She wonders if those luscious brown strands are as soft to touch as she imagines.

"Beckett?"

"Huh?"

"Dinner. Tonight."

The 'yes' is begging for release but she knows that tonight she's hardly going to be good company. Regardless of how disappointed she is to decline, they've been having too much fun on their 'dates' to wreck their running streak with her growing bad mood.

"Maybe tomorrow, Castle?"

Dropping his gaze, he studies his lap, but the look of regret fades quickly when she asks, "Wanna help me get ready for when they bring Tonya Wellington into interrogation?"

* * *

Staring down at the files, Castle huffs unhappily. He thought yesterday was a little crazy, but today has gone from weird to worse. Beckett's spiral over Natalie's behavior was a little scary, and while he understands that to her coffee is sacred, he never really knew how much until today.

Now, sitting here pushing paperwork as they gather information on Duke and his assistant, he feels tonight is going to be another long one. While APB's are out on Greta Morgan he can't see how anything is going to pop soon.

Sticking the pencil between his teeth, he uses it as a gag. He very much wants to tell Beckett to call it a night so they can grab the dinner that she hinted at yesterday but-

"Talk to enough people and something usually shakes out."

The pencil falls from his grip and clatters to the floor as he stares transfixed, eyes locked on Natalie as she interrupts their research. Except it's not _Natalie_. It's as if Nikki's been brought to life and she looks just like Beckett.

The strut. The clothes. The hair. _Wow._

"Just like I dreamed it!" Damn. Pulling his stare away from Nikki - from Natalie - he focuses on a less than impressed looking Beckett and he asks guiltily, "Did I say that out loud?"

Because in his dreams there certainly aren't two of them; it's just sometimes there's a very fine line in his head between what Nikki looks like and Beckett. Sometimes even he's not sure who is who when he's fantasizing - when he's writing.

Beckett snatches the files from Natalie's hand and he's sure that he's missed something here, but it's all too hard to focus when all that he desires is standing next to a high quality double.

This is beginning to hurt his head.

"It's Velasquez, and you are not me!"

Beckett's irritation has him wanting to jump up and stand beside her in defense, if only he could get his legs to work. He hates seeing her this upset, especially over something that, at the start, she had really enjoyed, but he's having a hard time remembering - well _anything_.

Leaning on the table, Natalie eyes him from across the desk, and he really wishes he could move, edge away just a little from the hungry stare that is piercing his soul.

"No, but I'm getting warmer." The sultry way she declares her nearly-there success almost has Castle concurring with the actress. She certainly is getting pretty damn close, but as Beckett cuts across from her to announce that they should call it a night, he's reminded that he doesn't want a poor imitation. What he wants is the real deal. What he wants is Beckett.

"What?! But it's so early!" Natalie's whine over the fact that they're being sent home is something that he actually agrees with. He doesn't want to leave, not yet, not without Beckett.

"Yeah, well it's a high-stress job, and I wouldn't want anyone to get burnt out." Beckett's explanation has so many holes in it he's surprised she's not slipping in the puddles that her sieve is creating.

"All right. I'll go pack up my things. Rick, can you help?" A pouting Natalie turns on him, and he looks between Beckett and faux-Beckett. He doesn't want to go, doesn't want to lose any chance of turning tonight around for the better. It's Saturday night, and he only has three more sleeps until their stupid self-imposed single life can come to an end.

Unfortunately, Beckett follows Natalie toward the door, and he sees his chance of _something_ evaporating with their retreating forms. Left with no choice, he stands and answers, "Of course."

* * *

Shutting the door, Kate resists the urge to open it just so she can slam it a little harder, a little louder. She can see through the open blinds that Castle is already catching up to Natalie and it shatters a part of her that took so long to rebuild.

She can't believe her boyfriend is being stolen once again. Except there lies her problem. He's not, never has been, because every time they get to this point, get to where they could be - _magic_ \- someone comes along and takes him away. She's lived through Ellie Monroe, through Gina, and now Natalie. How much more can she take?

Leaving those ugly thoughts in the back room, she opens the door and exits, heads toward her desk in hopes of a distraction. There's nothing waiting for her at home. She'd been holding on to the hope that dinner with Castle was going to happen, except of course – it didn't. And now...

Dropping her folder, she hears a thud from the elevator and looking up she catches a glimpse of Castle flat against the wall, Nikki – _Natalie_ – reducing the distance between them.

The doors close, but she doesn't need to see the rest. Castle's not the only one with an imagination, and, grabbing her coat, she heads toward the stairs.

Home seems to be exactly what she needs right now.

* * *

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Hopefully Jo you are still talking to me after your fluff went - sideways. Sorry. Really!

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Thank you for all of your amazing reviews, and to those that are making it a favourite or following xoxo

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Thanks to Lou for your beta and helping me with homework ;-)

and to those that help out behind the scenes, especially for your support in my writing - My mum amongst them, lol

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Thoughts?


	8. Chapter 8

**.**

**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

Throwing the tissue onto the small pile that's growing by her feet, Kate sinks further into the sofa. She should just go to bed, try and pretend today didn't happen. Try to pretend that she didn't see Castle against the elevator wall, Natalie mere inches away as she slowly moved in for a kiss.

It's what Kate does best; she long ago mastered the art of placing it all in a box to be ignored for another day. Except now she sits here, wallowing, and she wonders why there are cracks in the once sturdy compartment. How did he splinter what was once so strong?

Giving herself a shake – she can't stay here all night – she drags herself up, allowing the small huff of sadness to fill the silent room. She may not have been here that long, but tonight is the first night that it has felt _empty_.

Kate bends down to retrieve the glass, and walking toward the kitchen, she catches sight of the computer, the light flashing as it slumbers in sleep mood. Was it really only Tuesday that she'd sat there, worried about Castle as Josh exited from her life?

Somehow, the past four days have felt more like four years with the amount of progress she thought she'd been making with Castle - actually talking and spending time together outside of work. They're big milestones for the two of them… and now…

Josh's parting words are coming back to haunt her, because instead of admitting to Castle how she feels, what she wants, she did exactly what Josh warned her against - she's kept Castle at arm's length. And now she's alone, standing in the middle of her quiet apartment, trying not to image what Castle is doing tonight.

A knock on the door crashes through her melancholy and she's tempted to leave it. The idea of being around someone hurts her head; except there's a shiver slowly edging its way up her spine and it makes her wonder if it could be him - _Castle_.

She desperately wants it to be, wants to be brave and let him in, but old, familiar doubts are clamping down on her anticipation.

Flicking the locks hesitantly, she opens the door a third of the way, and, seeing that her assumption is right, she asks quietly, "What do you want, Castle?"

* * *

His step forward is cut in half abruptly. The door he expected to be open wide is barely a gap, and Beckett's body fills the small space that is created. Listing on his back foot, he reverses his momentum, his forehead furrowing in confusion. Tonight has been nothing _but_ confusing.

"I want-" Swallowing the 'you,' he searches for a way to explain how he's ended up at her doorstep. "I came back up from helping Natalie and you were gone. I thought…" He thought that they had plans, tentative ones, but still he never expected to return to the bullpen to find that she'd disappeared into a puff of smoke.

"You- you came back?"

Beckett's front door opens a fraction more and he takes it as a sign that whatever is going on with her it's somehow linked to his momentary exit from the precinct.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

Her gaze drops heavily to the floor, her shoulders slumping and it cracks his resolve to take this slow. To take this at her pace. To wait until Tuesday - damn their stupid self imposed seven day waiting period.

Reaching with his left hand, he uses his strength to push the front door open enough for him to enter, and, taking a step forward, he brushes against her.

Everything that is Beckett overwhelms his senses and he has no choice but to pause for a moment just to breathe it all in.

It's the warmth radiating from her, the heat that leeches into his skin, which makes him brave, makes him bold. All the possibilities are so close if only he can break through the wall that is standing before him.

"Why wouldn't I come back to you, Kate?" He purposely drags out her first name, and, as her head lifts, the storm clouds that have engulfed her features become clear to him. Something has upset her, if only he could work out what.

"Kate?"

"I saw you. In the elevator. It looked-"

Suddenly it all makes perfect sense.

"She tried to kiss me. For _research_. She read the book and realized that Heat Wave- that Nikki and Rook are…"

Shifting his hand, his fingers glide over the smooth expanse of her cheek until he finds the curve of her neck, his eyes drifting close for a moment; the sensation of her gradually bending into his hand is not lost on him, and he savors it all.

Just for a moment.

"And she what? Wanted to act out the book?"

Huffing slightly at the way her question breaks the bubble that encased them; he asks in return, "Can I come in first?"

Edging back into her apartment the space created would let him enter a few feet but her question catches up with him and he stalls before he gets the chance to move.

"Is that why you left? You thought… what exactly? That I'm standing on the verge of something with you, and I'd just go and throw it all away for some actress?"

Beckett's body hunches under his words, and as she speaks more to the ground than to him, he has to strain to hear her response.

"You've done it before."

* * *

She didn't mean to say it, wishes frantically as soon as the words are out that she could erase them. The last thing she wants to do is start rehashing the past, but as she flickers a glance up, his stare penetrates her soul, his confusing bleeding into the lines of his face and she knows she has to explain.

"I thought we were getting… closer… last year, before… before Ellie and Demming. Gina and Josh."

Listing them makes the situation worse. An array of names that demonstrate their inability to just say what they want - who they want.

"I don't understand what this has to do with us. With now?" His head angles down, eyes searching hers for an explanation, and she knows she has to try better. She needs to get him to understand what has happened.

"When I saw you with her. With Natalie. I thought that it was happening all over again, that before I got to say what I wanted to say, someone else - someone bolder and braver, came along again and…"

Lifting his hand again, Castle's fingers caress her jaw and she is powerless to resist the temptation to close the space between them, to lean into his warmth. While focusing her scrutiny on the hallway behind him, she searches for a way to finish what she's started.

"Kate, what did you want to say?"

Her gaze latches onto his shoulder, onto the arc of his neck, the hairs that kiss the collar of his shirt, before finally edging higher. She traces the length of his throat, the fullness of his lips, and the blue of his eyes.

"I want you."

* * *

He hears her words. He really does, but as his mind splinters into a million tiny pieces, his body remains frozen in place, his mouth the only part able to move.

"Kate." Her name escapes his lips, but he has no idea what to say next, what happens now.

He'd come here ready to battle it out with her. Ready to get to the bottom of whatever had caused her to duck her tail and run, but he realizes if he can look past her insecurities, past the worry that he too shares, they might be able to keep their bubble from bursting after all. There's a chance that tonight could be magic.

"I just want you, Kate. No one else. Just you." His head drifts side to side at the utter inaccuracy of her presumption. How could he possibly be interested in Natalie?

The corner of her mouth lifts, just a fraction, but the nearly there smile gives him the courage that he needs, and, leaning forward, he catches her lips between his own.

It's everything he thought it would be and nothing like he expected. His bottom lip finds its way between hers as she opens to him, draws him inside the heat of her mouth, and he returns the favor, relishing the taste that is her.

His hands slip lower, fingers sliding over the material of her pants, until mercifully they inch under her shirt. The pull of her smooth skin, the way he finds a home in the curve of her sides has him releasing a moan, and she returns it with a sound that vibrates the length of his body.

If there was any blood left above his waist, it's now well and truly fled south.

This is nirvana, what it feels like when the stars align, when thunder and lightning converge into one electrify being. This is what it is to have Kate in his arms.

* * *

Her fingers glide over the buttons of his shirt; skimming delicately, she traces each circle as she makes her way higher. She craves the touch of his skin under hers, the rough line of his jaw, the fullness of his lips. Now that she has the opportunity, now that she is in his arms, and he is in hers, she cannot get enough. How can one ever get enough of having him so close?

Reluctantly, Kate drags her head away from the fire that's consuming her, away from his mouth, and, judging by the groan Castle releases, he's just as upset over the loss of contact as she is.

However, they are standing in the middle of her doorway, their first kiss on display for everyone to see, and, bunching a fist full of his shirt, she tugs him further inside, his body bumping into hers as he moves forward.

"Beckett?"

"We're giving the neighbors a show. In."

Getting her point, his large frame scrapes against hers again as he crowds her from all sides. His arms wrap themselves low on her hips, his thigh nudges hers apart, his hard length knocking into her pelvis as they stumble as one into her apartment enough to close the door.

The question is - what happens next?

There are so many parts of her weighing in on the next course of action, so many ways this could go, and she knows that it is all resting on her shoulders. She knows that Castle is too much of a gentleman to push for anything to happen tonight. Still there's a voice amongst all the others that is begging her to see that waiting can lead to heartache, to miscommunications and _oh _so many steps away from what she wants, they want, but she can change that. She can take the lead and show him exactly what she wants. Exactly who she wants.

Brushing her lips across his, she works both hands down the path she'd only just traveled up. Slowly, one by one each button of his shirt escapes, the two halves separating and exposing the expanse of his chest. Peppering a road map of kisses down, she rests above his heart, the muscle thumping against his skin with so much effort that she can feel its escalated tempo beating a tattoo onto her lips.

"I just want you, Castle." Repeating her oath, she throws every concern, every lingering doubt far, far away because he is here - he is with her. He's been by her side, has stood with her through the good and the bad of the last few years, and if they have any chance at being amazing, then it all has to start with one step forward.

Wrapping her fingers around his hand, she pivots while maintaining eye contact. She lets every ounce of love she feels for him flood the depths of soul, and, walking toward her bedroom, she moves them in the right direction. One step after the other.

* * *

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So some how there was supposed to be one chapter left, but now there is two (and if Jo gets her way another ten after that, lol) and all by Friday!

It's your birthday week Jo!

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Thank you to all that read, follow and favourite! And an extra big thank you to those that have left messages of support for this story xoxo

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Thank you Lou for the beta and for the homework, it's hopefully paying off!

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You'll find more of me on twitter at ky03elk xoxo


	9. Chapter 9

**.**

**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

The alarm on her phone buzzes nosily though her apartment and she squeezes her eyes closed against the intrusion. Not that it helps, the device carries on in spite of her desire for silence, and she huffs at the thought of having to drag herself out of bed.

"Are you going to turn it off?"

Castle's voice, rough from sleep, fights to be heard over the annoying sound and she burrows her head into his shoulder. At some point last night, they'd fallen asleep, and apparently her subconscious craves the feel of his skin as much as her conscious mind does. Her leg is wedged between his thighs, a palm above his heart, while his arm wraps itself under her head and around her back, his fingers holding tightly to her hip.

Last night had been… _mind_-_blowing_. She'd always known that it would be and any doubts about leading him to her room were well and truly shoved clear from her head as he'd demonstrated just how much he had wanted her - _wants her._

Unfortunately, it all has to be put on hold. The alarm indicates that it's time to get out of bed, that another day needs to begin, and she tries to ignore all the 'what ifs' that now come with it. What does it mean as they go into work? Where do they stand with each other now that they have crossed the line from friends to lovers?

Maybe they should have discussed what happens next. Maybe they should have-

"Stop thinking so much, Beckett." Brushing his lips across her temple, he silences those thoughts, and she angles her head higher, returning with a kiss of her own.

"I have to get up."

"No you don't."

"Yes. I do. And so do you if you're coming into work today."

Dragging himself onto his side, he looks down at her and she smiles as his eyes drift across all the naked skin he can see. They darken in the morning light and she fights against the joy that threatens to spill forth, the giggle that begs for release.

"Coming into work sounds boring, now coming in to-"

Lifting a hand to smother the rest of his sentence, she sits up allowing the sheet to fall down her waist and it has the desired effect on him – speechlessness.

"I'm getting out of bed and going to work."

"But-"

"But nothing, Castle."

She doesn't want to any more than he does, however the need to keep to her normal routine, to keep _them _in a normal routine, is helping to prevent her earlier thoughts from drowning her. She doesn't want to pretend last night didn't happen, but she doesn't want to alter who they are at work either.

Grumbling from behind her about scarves, bondage and the fact that he should have brought them along, Castle seems determined to ignore the approaching day, and as she sits on the bed, she hesitates for a moment. Standing and walking naked to her bathroom is not the same as spending the night exploring each other in bed, but maybe it will be the inspiration Castle needs to get up.

Well not up, per se, she already knew that he'd achieved that this morning.

Standing quickly, she does her best to strut, and, with only three steps taken, Kate can already hear him sliding out of bed. Smirking to herself, she basks in the knowledge that all he needed was an incentive to start the day. All he needed was her.

* * *

Geez, she needs this coffee. Between running out of time this morning – thanks to a longer than normal shower – and the drama over Ryan and Natalie, she's been watching her cup in Castle's hand since she walked into work. So close and yet not close enough.

A bit like Castle himself. He'd left to go home and change, leaving her to finish getting ready and as they'd reunited in the precinct's corridor, it took all she had not to grab him and drag him into a closet for another round. Considering how long they've been able to be 'just friends' she thought that being together would ease some of the tension pulsating through her body, not add to it.

Grasping the mug with her fingers, Kate attempts to ignore Natalie to her left, tries instead to focus on the coffee, which she needs as much as air right now.

"Can I ask you a question?"

The 'no' Kate wishes she could say is pushed to the side as she answers, "Sure." Closing the last inch between her and her coffee, she opens her lips allowing the liquid to flow past, coating her tongue, and she realizes that the first mouthful is a lot like kissing Castle. Everything stops and there's nothing but joy.

"Is Castle gay?"

Suddenly she's spitting out her precious coffee as Natalie asks _that_ question. The pleasant ache between her thighs, the love bite that is rubbing against the underwire in her bra makes the actress' words all the more laughable.

"I'm sorry, what? No. _No_." Shaking her head to emphasize the point, she holds onto the rest of her explanation. She ended up discussing with Castle in the shower this morning that she wanted to keep their newly changed status to themselves. At least until they can find a happy balance between their home and work relationship.

As if reading her thoughts, Natalie's next question hits a little too close to the truth. "Then you two are an item but you're sworn to secrecy, right?"

Ummmm, not sworn to secrecy. Although she did threaten Castle that he would be going home alone if he said anything to the boys today.

"Why?"

Huffing, frustration written clear across Natalie's face, she begins to explain, "Last night I invited him back to my place and he said something to me I have never heard from a man before."

"What?"

"No."

"No?"

"I don't get it?! He's into you but you're determined not to give in to these feelings that you clearly have for him. So he fantasizes about you through his writing. It's literally verbal masturbation."

Images of Castle as he slid down her body, his mouth latching on to every piece of her available flesh, flicker rapidly as she closes her eyes, hopes that the truth or the flush of her heated skin doesn't portray her thoughts.

"He-ee, wha-" It's rather hard to form sentences when the memory of his tongue on her- "Okay, so what does this all have to do with me?"

"I am not wearing this get-up for my health. You're Nikki Heat. He's Jameson Rook. I need to sleep with him in the name of character research. Can you talk to him?"

What?! Oh, she needs to talk to Castle. Needs to find him. Warn him. Because this- this is spiraling out of control.

"And say what?"

"I don't know. Give him permission or something."

Nope. That's it. Biting on the desire to tell Natalie to stay at least ten feet from Castle for the remainder of her visit, Kate is at a loss as to what to say or do next - slapping Natalie probably isn't an option.

"Eh-I-... I need to go...over there." Pointing behind her imposter, Beckett stands, fleeing her desk, and, it's not until she is half way across the bullpen that she comprehends that's she's left her coffee behind as well. Damn it!

* * *

"Everything okay?"

Approaching Beckett quietly as she glares at Natalie through the window, Castle stands behind her, his free hand bunching the material of his jacket so it doesn't find its way to the curve of her hip. He had memorized every valley and plain of her body last night and yet it is not enough. It's scarcely been hours since his fingers were discovering every inch of her but they itch to be on her again, and he takes a mouthful of his coffee instead. The caffeine is good, great even, but its a poor substitute considering where he had his lips this morning.

"Do I really do that?"

Beckett's focus remains on Natalie as she stands in front of the murder board and he replies honestly. "Yes, and it's adorable."

He doesn't have to see Kate's face to know that she's smiling; the tell-tale dip of her head and the slightest shake to her shoulders gives her away. He's come to learn that it means she's attempting not to giggle out loud. The best part of his new found knowledge is that he knows what she sounds like when she does giggle, when he places his mouth to the spot just below her ribs and rakes his teeth against her skin.

"Stop thinking about sleeping with me, Castle."

What?! How did she know?

"I would, if I could. But I can't, mainly because I don't want to."

He understands her reasons for wanting to keep them _them_, and work _them_ separate for a little while, at least until they find their footing, but with her spine arching as she leans forward to scrutinize her double, the images that are being brought to life are too hard to ignore. Although, as his smile widens, he realizes no longer has to imagine when it comes to her.

"We really should have a code word so we all know which Beckett to kill when her clone army attacks." Ryan's voice is an ice cold shower that destroys any further thought, yet, as he continues to mutter quietly about Jenny and then the case, Castle doesn't miss the way Beckett stands, the way she backs into him, the round swell of her rear bumping into his pelvis.

Raising his hand, careful of the coffee, he gentle moves her forward to create a bit of space. He is hanging on by a thread and she's about to delightfully push him over the edge.

Turning to face him, her gaze catches sight of the mug in his hand and she reaches for it, reverently wrapping both hands around the cylinder.

"What happened to yours, Beckett?"

Eyeing him wearily, before throwing a quick glare toward Natalie, her mouth too busy occupied with drinking his coffee to answer, he looks to where she indicated and spots her own mug standing forlorn on her desk. Ouch.

"What are guys doing?"

Joining their spy party, Espo is brought up to speed by Ryan and the four of them continue to remain transfixed by the oddity before them. It really needs popcorn, but he'll settle for another mouthful of coffee, and he plucks the mug from Beckett's hand so he can bring it to his mouth.

"Do you not have work that needs to be done? Because I can find some more cold cases for you if your current case isn't interesting enough." Montgomery's sharp tone crashes their covert operation and they all stand as one to attention. Feeling like a school child again, his coffee cup drops to his side as he attempts to make himself taller, and, Beckett using it to her advantage, steals it back.

"No, Sir. We do have work, Sir." Ryan's need to pacify means he gets in first, but Espo is right behind him.

"I found Greta Morgan at the Meritage Hotel."

Castle is sure that he or Beckett should be adding something but his focus is currently on the last of his coffee as it glides down her throat.

The boys, turning away from their captain, head toward the interview rooms, and it seems like a good idea to follow, except as Beckett hands back his now empty mug – payback is going to be pleasurable – Montgomery calls out to them.

"Not you two. I need a word with the both of you."

Spinning as one, Castle stands side by side with Beckett, and the look in Roy's eyes, the way that it's darting between the two of them has him suddenly worried.

Could their secret be out already?

* * *

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Only one more to go to celebrate Jo's birthday on Friday! WhooooHoooo!

thanks to all that asked for it to be longer but the plot bunnies said finish, and have made me start writing a new story. Naughty plot bunnies!

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Thank you everyone for all the sunshine and support xoxo

and thank you to Lou for the beta! You rock!

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	10. Chapter 10

**.**

**Magic**

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Poof! You're Dead post episode story

(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)

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* * *

"I need a word with the both of you."

The stern tone Montgomery uses brings both her and Castle to a standstill, and, turning together, they face the captain while Beckett rapidly reviews the last few hours. As far as she can recall everything's been normal. She woke up next to Castle, resisted the urge to hurt Natalie, and Jenny and Ryan are fighting. All completely normal - _not_.

"Sir?"

Stepping forward, Montgomery reduces the space between them, creating an air of privacy, and, gnawing on her bottom lip, she worries. What in the world could Montgomery have to say?

"I trust that the two of you will keep it professional while you're at work?"

_What?!_

"Sir? I don't-"

"Don't start, Beckett. I didn't get to where I am today because of my good looks."

"Although, Roy, you are quite a handsome man."

Turning toward Castle as he finishes his blatant attempt at sucking up to the Captain, she resists the urge to roll her eyes; really, he could tone it down a little.

"Sir, I- we-" She's trying for complete sentences, but unfortunately she's failing miserably. This situation could only be made more awkward if her dad decided to join them, and she flicks a quick look around the bullpen, just to be safe, before focusing back on the man in front of her. "How did you know?"

Well that's hardly what she meant to say, and her hand lifts, covering her mouth as she suppresses anything further from exiting.

"Well aside from the fact that you two are as happy as I've ever seen you, you've been playing pass the parcel with that cup for the last five minutes." His finger jabs at the now empty coffee cup in her hand. "I can't say I've ever seen you willingly share your coffee before, Beckett, so I am guessing Castle must have done something right this morning."

Opening and closing her mouth, nothing comes out, and her gaze drops to the floor. She's a little upset to see the black hole she very much needs at the moment is absent and unable to swallow her.

"Sorry about that, Roy, won't happen again." Castle, apparently unfazed by this conversation, apologizes for the both of them, and her head shakes in disbelief. She's still trying to understand how sharing a cup of coffee insinuates that she is now sleeping with Castle, even if it is true.

"No need for that, just don't let me catch you in one of the supply cupboards the next time I go looking for a new pen. The shock could kill a man."

Chuckling at his own joke, Montgomery waves a hand in dismissal as he walks away, his laughter over their situation continuing all the way to his office, and it seems he's not the only one gleeful at what went down. The grin that's stretching wide across Castle's face portrays just how excited he is about their relationship being 'exposed' and she relaxes next to him.

This is a good thing. This is the outcome she wouldn't allow herself to dream about. They've been given the all clear to keep working together, and it erases a worry she didn't realize was weighing so heavily on her. Being with Castle at work has come to be such an important part of her life that she would have been devastated if it had to stop.

"Do you think he's banned all supply closets? Or just the ones that house the pens? What about the gym upstairs?" Rattling the questions off one after the other, Castle's forehead furrows in contemplation, and she struggles against the urge to kiss it smooth. That's probably not what Montgomery meant when he said keep it out of the precinct.

Walking away from him and toward the interrogation room where Greta Morgan is waiting for them, she hears Castle continue his newfound goal of finding a safe and secluded spot for them.

"What about the break room? We could lock all the doors and draw the blinds! I have this image of you up against the coffee machine that has been playing on repeat for years."

* * *

Standing in the break room, Castle watches and waits for the popcorn to be done. There's an art to catching it when it is just right and he is the master of making a perfectly formed bowl of fluffy white.

"Does that make it pop any faster?" Beckett's comment is laced with sarcasm, but he refuses to rise to the bait. His morning has exceeded all expectations and nothing is bringing him down.

"No." Pulling the bag free from the microwave, he proudly holds it high. "But I do have an even balance between popped kernels that are not burnt and unpopped kernels."

"Ooookay." Drawing out every sound she adds in a look of skepticism. How could she not believe him?

"Well if you don't want any, I'd be happy to eat it all."

Holding out the white bowl that's between both her hands, she ignores his threat and he goes about separating the popcorn between the containers he'd found in the cupboard and making sure that she gets her fair share.

Placing the empty bag on the table, he slides up behind Beckett, aligning his mouth to her ear so he can whisper, "Would you like some sugar on yours? Or are you sweet enough?"

Dropping to her elbows, the bowl cluttering loudly against the table as she lets it go, Kate laughs - loudly. Apparently his pick up line was less sexy and more hilarious than he thought.

"Firstly, why would I add sugar to it? And secondly, that could quite possibly be the worse pick up line I've ever heard, Castle."

"What is?" Esposito's question has Castle jumping back a foot, and he looks around, searching desperately for an excuse on how to get out of this situation.

"I was asking Beckett's opinion, as a girl, if that pick up line would work... on a girl." Okay, not his best diversion but not to shabby either. "And anyhow, aren't you supposed to be calling Rich Weiss' wife?"

"Still trying to get through, and you were really trying out pick up lines? Seriously?" Espo glares suspiciously down his nose at them and Castle remains calm. Being on the end of this pointed look is nothing after having lived through Beckett's but he wouldn't say no to a distraction right about now.

Spotting Ryan hanging up his desk phone in defeat – he seems to be having no luck getting through either - he grabs the nearest bowl.

"Ryan looks like he could do with some popcorn."

Unfortunately, he gets two steps into his retreat when Espo yells, "Hey, Ryan. Popcorn."

Like a dog to a bone, Ryan hears his name being called and is up and on his way into the room and Castle rapidly searches for another escape. Just like Montgomery, these two seem to be sniffing a change in the air and are pouncing.

"Oooo. Thanks, Castle." Taking the bowl from his hands, Ryan sits down on a stool and Castle is forced to turn back toward their group.

"Castle here was trying out pick up lines on Beckett. But they suck." Summing up his view on their conversation, Espo chuckles, apparently the idea is as funny as the line was.

"Don't worry, Castle, with a bit of practise you'll be back in the dating game before you know it." Ryan reassures before snapping his fingers and continuing, "Oh. I have a friend who would love to go out with you. She's stunning."

Looking at Beckett, he can see her straightening in her seat and his head shakes 'no'. He needs to fix this now.

"Guys, I-" His explanation that he's fine and doesn't need a date is interrupted by Esposito though.

"There's that hot chica down stairs. She stops to chat with you all the time."

Getting whiplash over the thrashing his head is doing, Castle tries once again to protest. His eyes pleading as he looks toward Beckett for assistance, but she seems to be too busy staring at Espo to help out.

"Guys. Really. I'm fine."

He has no idea if he should blurt out that he is with Beckett and thus happily off the market. There really is no need for secrets now that Montgomery knows. Right? But the memory of this morning, her hands wrapped around him as she made him promise not to say anything to the boys, has him staying silent.

"No, Castle. You really need to get back out there again. That is unless you're already seeing someone?" Ryan's question has the blood draining from his face, because yes - he is.

Slapping her hand against the table, Beckett stands, a pointed finger swinging wildly between Espo and Ryan. Glaring at them both, she announces, "You heard! You over heard Montgomery this morning!"

He watches in confusion, lost at what she is getting so agitated about until suddenly he catches up to her reasoning - the boys are too keen on trying to get him back on the dating scene, especially considering Beckett's right there in the room.

Playing it cool, Espo merely raises an eyebrow, holding and maintaining her glare, but Ryan caves in seconds.

"We heard all right... we heard that you've been banned from closets." Standing, Ryan takes a step closer to slap him on the back in congratulations and Castle returns the action. He's pretty damn excited too.

Smiling, Espo butts shoulders with Beckett, whose glare softens as she twists beaming in his direction.

Leaning back against the table, Ryan - Castle swears there's a tear in his eye – declares, "I'm just so happy for you two."

* * *

"Jennifer Scout Duffy-O'Malley, will you make me the happiest guy in the world and marry me?"

Holding the ring up from his position on one knee, Ryan pauses, and Castle swears the entire bullpen sucks in a collective breath of anticipation as they – mainly Kevin – waits for an answer. The last twenty four hours have been a whirl wind of emotions and as he turns toward Beckett it all slams into him suddenly.

It's early days, so very, very early but for the first time he can see them making steps in the right direction. He can envision a future where this scenario is no longer impossible. One day, far from now, this could be him.

Gripping the folder between his hands, his fingers blanch white as his body tenses with the pause, but he shouldn't have worried. As Jenny exclaims, "Yes," he lets out the breath he was holding, and, shifting the folder under one arm, he joins in as everyone applauds the newly engaged pair.

Looking down at Kate, he manages to choke out, "That was big."

Focused on the happy couple, she nods in agreement, adding, "And intimate." The tears over what they were privileged enough to witness are welling in her beautiful eyes and he can't help but reach over, sliding a hand across her skin, the moisture catching on his fingers.

Ignoring the others as they move toward Kevin and Jenny to offer their congratulations, Beckett lifts a hand, wrapping it around the collar of his shirt. Stretching up onto her toes, she brushes her lips across his before sinking into his side, and dropping the folder to the floor, he drapes both arms low around her waist.

Hopefully Montgomery will over look this display of affection given the circumstances, because as he holds her tightly, he can't help but think that he could get used to this. He could happily spend the rest of his life, just like this.

After all with magic in the air, anything is possible.

* * *

THE END

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO!

I hope you have enjoyed this gift ;-) Go wish Jo (honeyandvodka) Happy birthday by going and reading one of her brilliant stories! They are just as amazing as she is!

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Thanks to everyone that read and enjoyed, and thank you to those that took the time to offer their support, thoughts, and pompoms xoxo

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Thanks to Lou for all the speedy beta work

and to Jamie for the annoying US questions I am forever asking (How do you make popcorn over there? ;-)

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See you with a new story soon xoxo

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